Flowers should be presented to winners who have returned home with flying colors after competitions. Why should they be given to this disgraced loser?
她壹直垂著頭。前四天，她從平衡木上打著旋兒跌在墊子上時，就把美麗而神氣的頭垂下來。現在她回國了，走入首都機場的大廳，簡直要把腦袋藏進領口裏去。她怕見前來歡迎的人們，怕記者問什麽，怕姐姐和姐夫來迎接她，甚至怕見到機場那個熱情的女服務員——她的崇拜者，每次出國經過這裏，都跑來幫著她提包兒……有什麽臉來見人，大敗而歸！
Since she fell on the mattress from the horizontal bar four days before while doing a somersault, she had kept her beautiful and once proud head bent. Now she was back at the Capital Airport from abroad. Upon entering the lobby, she wished she could hide her head under her collar. She was ashamed to face the people who had come to welcome her right at the airport, to be interviewed by the reporters, or to meet her sister and brother-in-law. She was even afraid to see the warm-hearted stewardess—one of her admirers. Each time she went abroad from the airport, this stewardess would rush up to help her with her luggage. What a shame that she had absolutely failed!
這次世界性比賽，她完全有把握登上平衡木和高低杠“女王”的寶座，國內外的行家都這麽估計，但她的表演把這些希望的燈全都關上了。
Before she set off for the International Gymnastics Championships, she was fully confident of winning the World Titles for horizontal bar and uneven bars, and gym experts both at home and abroad had so expected. But her poor performance had shamefully shattered all of their expectations.
兩年前，她第壹次出國參加比賽，夾在許多名揚海外的姑娘們中間，不受人註意，心裏反而沒負擔，出人意料拿了兩項冠軍。回國時，就在這機場大廳裏，她受到空前熱烈的迎接。許多只手朝她伸來，許多攝影機鏡頭對準她，壹個戴眼鏡的記者死死糾纏著問：“妳最喜歡什麽？”她不知如何作答，擡眼看見壹束花，便說：“花！”於是就有幾十束花朝她塞來，多得抱不住。兩年來多次出國比賽，她胸前掛著壹個又壹個亮晃晃的獎牌回來，迎接她的是笑臉、花和攝影機雪亮的閃光。是不是這就加重她的思想負擔？愈贏就愈怕輸，成績的包袱比失敗的包袱更重。精神可以克服肉體的痛苦，肉體無法擺脫開精神的壓力。這次她在平衡木上稍稍感覺自己有些不穩，內心立刻變得慌亂而不能自制。她失敗了，並且跟著在下面其他項目的比賽中壹塌糊塗地垮下來……
Two years before, she had gone abroad to take part in an international competition for the first time. Among so many girls who had already won fame abroad, she attracted little attention. Yet because her mind was kept free of her anxiety about failure, she unexpectedly won two World Titles. When she returned home that year, she was given an enthusiastic welcome in the same lobby. Many hands stretched out to her, many camera lenses focused on her. A reporter in glasses kept pestering her with the question: “What do you like best?” She was wondering how to respond when she caught sight of a bouquet of flowers. Then she said, “Flowers!” Following her remarks, bunches of flowers were at once presented out to her, too many for her to hold. During the past two years, she had participated in many international competitions and brought back one shining medal after another. What she got in return was all smiles, flowers and camera flashes. Was it because of this that she became preoccupied with winning? The more she won, the more obsessed she was with the fear of losing. So her mind was in fact more burdened with success than with failure. The mind could control physical pains but could not free itself from mental strain easily. This time when she was a little off balance on the horizontal bar, she became so worried that she lost self-control and fell off. This failure was followed by several more in other events.
本來她怕見人，走在隊伍最後，可是當她發現很少有人招呼她，攝影記者也好像有意避開她時，她感到冷落，加重了心中的沮喪和愧疚，縱使她有回天之力，壹時也難補償，她茫然了。是呵，誰願意與失敗者站在壹起？
Afterwards in order to avoid people at the airport, she trailed along behind the team. When she found that very few people greeted her and reporters seemed to shun her, she felt hurt and deserted and became more humiliated and shamed of herself. However hard she tried, she couldn’t turn the tide; she was a complete failure. Indeed, who would side with a failure?
忽然她發現壹雙腳停在她眼前。誰？她壹點點向上看，深藍色的服裝，長長的腿，銅衣扣，無檐帽下壹張潔白嫻靜的臉兒。原來是機場那女服務員，正背著雙手，含笑對她說：“我在電視裏看見了妳們比賽，知道妳今天回來，特意來迎接妳。”
All of a sudden, she saw a pair of shoes in front of her. Who could it be? She raised her bent head slowly and saw a navy blue suit, long legs, brass buttons and then a clear fair face under a brimless cap. Before her stood the stewardess with her hands behind her back, speaking with a smile, “I watched your performance on the television. I knew you would come home today. So I am here especially to welcome you.”
“我真糟！”她趕緊垂下頭。
“I did very poorly.” She lowered her head again.
“不，妳同樣用盡汗水和力量。”
“No. You did your best.”
“我是失敗者。”
“But I failed.”
“誰都不能避免失敗。我相信，失敗和勝利對於妳同樣重要。讓失敗屬於過去，勝利才屬於未來。”女服務員的聲音柔和又肯定。
“Nobody can avoid failure. I believe failure is as important to you as success. Failure belongs to the past, and victory is the future.” The stewardess’s voice came gentle but firm.
她聽了這話，重新擡起頭來。只見女服務員把背在身後的手向前壹伸，壹大束五彩繽紛的花捧到她的面前。濃郁的香氣竟化作壹股奇異的力量註入她的身體。她頓時熱淚滿面。
Hearing these words, the girl raised her head. The stewardess held out her hands from behind her back with a big bouquet of colorful flowers, and presented it to the girl. The strong fragrance seemed to turn into a magic, powerful current that went through her body. She was moved to tears.
怎麽？花，理應呈送給凱旋歸來的英雄，難道也要獻給這黯淡無光的失敗者？
Flowers are usually given to victorious heroes. Why to this disgraced loser?